• Ukrainian military in Severodonetsk have been told to leave the city.
• Russia has focused its invasion of Luhansk region on the city and its twin, Lysychansk.
• Moscow needs control of this area to maintain a land corridor from Russia to Crimea.

According to the top regional official, Ukrainian military in Severodonetsk have been instructed to leave.

In an effort to seize control of significant portions of eastern Ukraine, Russia has focused its invasion on the city.

Serhiy Haidai, the president of the Luhansk region, stated that staying in areas that had been continuously shelled for months “simply doesn’t make sense.”

In recent days, Russian forces have come dangerously close to encircling Severodonetsk; now, they are aiming for its twin city Lysychansk.

On Friday morning, Mr. Haidai said on Ukrainian television, “They have orders to retire to new locations… and from there continue their operations.

He continued, noting that almost 90% of the city’s housing stock had been shelled, and 80% of those had sustained serious damage.

[embedpost slug=”minister-u-s-long-range-missile-systems-have-arrived-in-ukraine/”]

The Ukrainian military said on Friday morning that “combat continues for the city of Severodonetsk,” thus it’s unclear if the withdrawal has started.

There are now concerns that Ukrainian soldiers may soon be encircled in the area south of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk after Russian forces seized further land there on Thursday.

The two cities have been the focal point of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started on February 24.

In the Luhansk region, which together with the Donetsk region makes up what is known as the Donbas, these are the last important Ukrainian outposts.

One of the main excuses Russian President Vladimir Putin uses for invading Ukraine is the bogus assertion that Russian speakers in the Donbas have been the victims of genocide for years.

Russia is accused of committing genocide against the Ukrainian people, which Ukraine rejects as unfounded.

In a separate development on Friday, a car explosion in the seized southern city of Kherson claimed the life of a Russian-appointed official, according to Russian news sources.

Ukraine, whose troops have advanced in the region, has not responded to the situation publicly.

Recently, a number of Kremlin-installed officials in the Kherson region have come under attack. Moscow needs control of this area to maintain a land corridor from Russia to Crimea, the southernmost peninsula of Ukraine that the Kremlin annexed in 2014.

[embedpost slug=”eu-leaders-are-having-a-lengthy-conversation-over-ukraine/”]